Russia warns US-led coalition: Those who carry out strikes in Syria face blowback

The Russian Foreign Ministry has said that those countries initiating one-sided military scenarios take international legal responsibility for their consequences. It comes as the US-led coalition begins its anti-ISIS strikes in Syria.

A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle assigned to the 174th Fighter Wing prepares to take off from Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield at Fort Drum, N.Y. in this October 18, 2011. (Reuters/U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Ricky Best
A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle assigned to the 174th Fighter Wing prepares to take off from Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield at Fort Drum, N.Y. in this October 18, 2011. (Reuters/U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Ricky Best

“Attempts to achieve one’s own geopolitical goals in violation of the sovereignty of countries in the region only exacerbate tensions and further destabilize the situation,” the statement said.

The launch of the US-led operation against the jihadist movement Islamic State (formerly known as ISIS or ISIL) has seen strikes targeting training camps, headquarters and weapons supplies in northern and eastern Syria. However, eight civilians have been killed in the strikes since the start of the attack, three of them children. At least 30 militants have also been declared dead.

Syria, in its turn, said in a statement that it’s prepared to cooperate with any international anti-terrorism effort. The country won’t stop the fight with IS extremists, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said.

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